Impressions of Belgrade and Serbia (and some occasional vacation photos!) by a long-term ex-pat.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Radovan visits ZEUS's Temple--ABC Wednesday

The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion, is a colossal temple, now in ruins, formerly dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. Begun in the 6th century BC by the Greeks, it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian some 650 years later. Radovan was reminded of Roman ruins near Leskovac, Serbia, of the ancient town Justiniana Prima, founded by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD.

The Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gateway resembling a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens to structures on the eastern side of the city including Zeus's Temple. An inscription on the western side facing the Acropolis states: "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus," whereas an inscription on the eastern side of the arch (facing the Temple) states: "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus." Radovan can see the Acropolis through the arch.

10 comments:

Bibi take a bow! This is an outstanding example of combining the letter with the travelogue. I adore Greek/Roman myths and legends so for me this is a marvellous post. Mr Radovan you lucky boy to witness these structures first hand. Now put some sunscreen on!

I would like to attempt similar pix like yours, Bibi. I will try to bring a doll with me and go on a tour of my hometown Melaka. Will bring my little niece along so we can together put up an interesting show for the children. Thanks for your creativity that inspire me to do this project. Now I gotta think of what doll I should use!!

Smile!

Who am I?

I'm an American woman who's lived and worked in Serbia for over 40 years. I've come to love the people with all their idiosyncrasies, and created this blog to help break some of the negative press about Serbs. I take requests for photos!